LITTLE DANGER
OF BOAT HORROR
ONJ)ELAWARE
Every Precaution Ob
served, Inspectors
Say, to Prevent Acci
dents Here.
Possibilities of Disaster Arc
Many, but Probabilities Are
Very Few in View of Strict
Adherence to Code of Safety
Rules.
there in small danger of on excursion
boat catastrophe of the magnitude and
horror of the one today In Chicago occur
ring on the Delaware River here, accord
ing lo Bteambont experts In this city.
It was pointed out that In river boats,
necessarily of slight draft, the centre of
gravity la not sufllclently low to permit
onv great shifting of weight. Faulty
ballast might make a boat capsize.
About five Inspections a year are made
by the United States steamboat Inspect
ors however, and sometimes Bpcclal addi
tional Inspections are mnde Everything
possible Is done to safeguard the lives of
excursionists. Life preservers, hulls,
boilers, flro apparatus, boats and all other
equipment or parta of the boat are exam
ined and tested.
RIGID BALLAST TEST8,
nigld ballast tests are made on all boats
built for Delaware Illver traffic and for
boats brought In from other cities. All
the boats are required to have more llfo
preservers on board than the number of
passengers It can carry. A strict limit as
to the number of passengers Is set and
all steamboat men nro required to keep
Inside this limit.
Steamboat men say that frequently tide,
wind or oven a leak In a passenger boat
cause disasters. If passengers rush to
one sldo of a' boat In good condition It
may causo only n slight list. It there Is
a leak that has let In some water, this
weight, added to that of the passengers on
one side, may cause the boat to overturn.
Captain Hornco Wilson, head of tho
Wilson line, which runs four boats be
tween Philadelphia nnd Wilmington, said
that the excursion boats In general
around Philadelphia were as safe, If not
safer, than those anywhere else Two
Of tho boats on his line, the City of
Philadelphia and the City of Wilming
ton, he said, could accommodate 1S0O
persons, nnd that frequently the entire
load Tiad been concentrated on tho upper
decks without accident. He attributed
'the safety of the local boats to the
rigid Inspections that arS frequently
made and the careful ballasting of the
boats. He raid that the Eastland, the
boat which turned turtle In Chicago, was
of shallow draft, high build and ex
tremely unstable.
Officials of the Ericsson Line to Balti
more from this port and of the Delaware
River Transportation Company, which
operates to Trenton, said that conditions
of boats on their lines and others oper
ating up and down the Delaware River
were better than at other ports. Both
lines set n limit of capacity lower than
that oet by the steamboat Inspectors.
CHICAGO ACCIDENT MYSTERY.
It was said that the possible causes of
the accident at Chicago are so numerous
(hat It would be futile to speculate on tho
teal reason until an Investigation has
been made. Ferryboats are said by ex
perts to be tho safest possible river
Craft, They arc of the typ'e known as
'.'turtle backs," and virtually nonslnkabla.
It also Is next to impossible to capsize
them.
GUARD CRITICISED BY
: INSPECTOR GENERAL
(Uolonel Sweeney Dissatisfied
With Decrease in Attendance
and Efficiency.
'HARRISBURG, July 24. The outstand
ing feature of the report of Colonel
t'rank M. Sweeney, Inspector general of
the National Guard of Pennsylvania, of
the condition of the Guard as shown by
the annual Inspections last winter, Is the
complaint which he makes about attend
once. Colonel Sweeney's report, which
was made public today through a general
order Issued at the Adjutant General's
Department, says that company com
manders "cither are lax in discipline or
are carrying men on their rolls that have
ceased to bo Identified with tho Guard
and therefore not available for military
duty in order to maintain their organiza
tion at tho required minimum1."
Colonel Sweeney also remarks that the
Guard, especially the Infantry arm. Is not
materially Increasing In efficiency, and
adds that this may bo attributed In part
to the small attendance at drill during
the year.
State property In the hnndB of the
Guard, company books and papers and
the discipline of the body as a whole the
inspector general regarded as being In
a satisfactory condition.
The Inspection upon which these find
ings are based was made on a new
method of rating which Colonel Sweeney
Is convinced la nqt an Improvement. In
stead of the numerical rating heretofore
used, organisations attaining the required
average, 76, were merely marked
passed." Upon this subject Colonel
Sweeney says,
While the method of numerical rating
may not be perfect. It Is the best ever
devised for National Guard use. It In
spired the omcers, and, through them,
tho men. to greater effort In endeavor to
secure for the company the highest rat
ing In Its regiment, or In the guard at
large a result highly beneficial, both to
the organization Immediately affected,
and to the service in general."
Colonel John P. Wood, acting Inspector
of cavalry, who made the first Inspec
tion of the cavalry units since they were
united In a regimental organization, note
that most of the troops are without ade
quate accommodation for the proper caro
of public property, and have not suffi
cient room for drill purposes. He also
urge that provision be made for more
nwtinieu drills In all of the troops.
State Training 335 Teachers
HARRISBURG, Pa-. July M. The fitate
is training 3& teaehers to take positions
in the continuation school to be organ
Ud January 1, when the new child la
tKr law poa into affect, according to re
port fCO various points whara tee sum
mer sifcools are in operation Pr I.
Uaorga Becfet. secretary of the State
Hoard of Education, reports that Prin
cipal W. C Ash has 31 isstnwtora U hi
c a at PlSla4lpHa; W. fc HsakAt.
ton. S. D. XosU. J ftt AltafljW. and Jotm
Thompson. H at FtUaftursb
gtart Vfetk on Vare Home
Wefc wiH few atartrl in .i few wreka
i t& o reaWanc u siate kt-
y&im H Vare at MSs-U -ut& Bru4
, Ht The no hou- will ba a double
,. elwia u biownotooe arid will cent
. ,( it i. utd to be finithl
. ,u aii-d.e uf DocaaiWMT. 1
I EXCURSION STEAMBOAT OF TYPE WHICH
H .. .... c- , ... w . -.- .. . ..'. At t vbI-ir TTTrrrtirfn i inrwii I II iimlll
Photo by William nu.
The Eastland was a three-decker of roomy dimensions nnd supposedly safe construction. .The Chicago
River nt Clark street in summer is incessantly crowded with excursion craft of all kinds, the cheap trips
on Lake Michigan being exceedingly popular. The spot where tho steamer sank is only a lew blocks
from the business centro of the city.
HUNDREDS DROWNED WHEN BOAT
CAPSIZES IN THE CHICAGO RIVER
Continued from l'ae One
any Information will bo hoard nt the
Inquest."
With ncetyleno torches, electric lights
nnd steel saws, a large forco of men
worked untiringly to open wide the vents
In tho steel hull of tho vessel. Menn
whlle, others wrre working Inside the
hull, fastening bodies to ropes which were
drawn through the portholes and Jagged
openings cut by tho saws.
The first two bodies Identified were
thoso of Mrs. Charles E. Campbell, found
submerged In her stateroom, and Mlsg
Pauline Zantak, taken from the hold.
A second tragedy wn narrowly averted
when the police discovered that tho
crowds of spectators of the acctdont had
crowded the Clark street bridge beyond
the safety point. The bridge was sagging
when a squad of pollco made the crowd
move 'on.
Police Captain Denman and his men had
a terrific struggle with friends and rela
tives of the victims of the disaster, who
Biirgcd about the narrow landing frantic
to roach tho capsized boat. The police
men beat the crazed mob back with clubs,
livery tlmo a new group was rescued
from tho water there was a fresh rush
from the maddened crowd on the Clark
dock landing
Many persons suffered bruised heads In
the battle with tho pollco.
Every police nnd hospital nmbulance
within a rndlus of more than n mile was
rushed to the Clark street bridge. As
fast as tugboats nnd small craft In the
neighborhood could bring up a boat
load they were loaded In the ambulances
and patrol wagons and rushed to the
nearest hospitals.
Three huge dredges were put to work In
an effort to stand the Eastland on end.
To prevent possibilities of bodleB being
swept down the river, orders were issued
at the great pumping stations, which
force the water from the lake to the
drainage canal, to reverse the process
sufficiently to make tho water stagnant
Two city divers went to work shortly
after this. Four more were put to work
this afternoon.
HEART-BREAKING SCENES TAKE
PLACE IN HOSPITAL AFTER TRAGEDY
CHICAGO, July 21. Shrieking and sob
bing women, mothers who called for their
babies In anguish, and strong men driven
frantic by the 6ight they had witnessed,
niled the Iroquois Memorial Hospital 30
minutes after the steamer Eastland
overturned.
"The worst cases first," was the order
the head physician of the hospital gave
when the first batch of injured was
brought in. Several died as they were
being carried Into the operating rooms.
A hysterical young girl fought with the
hospital attendants who tried to give her
treatment.
"My sister," she screamed. "My poor
sister. You shan't do anything for me
until you find her."
"MY FACE SEEMED TO TOUCH MUD
AT BOTTOM," SAYS RESCUED QIRL
CHICAGO, July 24. Survivors of the
Eastland, horror In the Chicago River to
day told gruesome tales, filled with fear
ful details, )n relating their experiences.
Miss Bertha Swanke, the most hysterical,
said;
"I was on the top deck with two girl
companions when we felt the ship going
over. The great mass of people behind
us slid toward us and literally shoved
us over Into tho water. We could not re
sist. They fell on us. pushed us down,
down n the water until my face seemed
to touch the mud op the bottom,
"After what seemed to be an age, I
felt myself on top of the water. I caught
a rope and In a moment I was dragged
ashore. My two companions. May and
Esther Price, I think, were drowned."
John Zwaska reached the gangplank to
go aboord Just as It was drawn up. He
was standing close by when the big boat
went over.
"I leaped Into a tug that pulled along
side and looked Into a port hole," said
Zwaska- "A woman was sitting In a
chair with water up to her neck.
"She was drowned. Firemen and tug
men chopped the hole bigger and let
ropes down. Everybody who was hauled
out was dead. Lots of people on the
Clark street bridge threw life preservers
to us, but most of them floated away,
useless.
"I climbed Into the hold and worked
with tho firemen and tugmen until It be
came so suffocating I could not breathe
and we were saved by other rescuers."
GIRL, 17, RESCUES TWO OTHERS,
Alice Stejskal. IT, who was thrown Into
the water, saved two girls and nearly
lost her life attempting to save a third.
Herself an expert swimmer, Miss BUJskal
struck out and took one young girl as
sha was being sucked baci? Into the whlrN
pool and dragged her to safety. Then. In
making a third attempt at a rescue, the
girl she caught fought with her until ex
hausted, and Miss Btojskal was forced to
unloosen her hold. The girl drqwned and
the young woman waa dragged to tna
riaek.
Peter Veban. a survivor, saw his sweet
heart. Mary Kesel, carried to her death
despite his afforts to save her.
"Wa were on the starboard side of the
boat and slid to the port side when the
list cama and capalzed us." aajd Vafcan.
"Score of chairs and tablta piled upon
us and foread us apart. One coar Btnjak
Mary on the head. She waa uneenscioua
when she (u into tha water. I tried my
best to get hir. bt sha dlsaf-peyad. I
(arched about In tba water for heft but
she dtsappeaftd,"
MlM HraU, ens at the girt wbp waa
sav4, wWd the astten of the man on
' men wi rywhere trytag to
belp the woman," aba sW "Truly Uy
proved their courage and kindaaaa U
was anothar caa of 'Women na) chttdran
flraf wharaver tbara was a i-haui lo
civ ilxm an ooBOftualir to b bt"
j4wa4 tUlafgM, am ll-yajfcW young
EVENING TvEDftER-frHIEAPEKPHrA PATFBPAY,
. Jjii.' aI
Tho commission stores nnd business
houses In the neighborhood of the Clark
street bridge vied with ono another In giv
ing assistance and comfort to the saved.
The Steele-Wedeles coffee house ordered
business suspended. Clerks were set to
ripping open sacks of coffee 16 make up
a great caldron of the beverage for scores
of rescued who were taken Into the store.
DEAD PLACED IN ROWS
All the dead first taken from the water
were placed In greusome rows alone the
floors of tho dook warehouses.
As more bodies were removed and the
ambulances and fire department appar
atus proved Inadequate to remove the
dead and Injured, pollco commandeered
scores of private automobiles and Im
mediately pressed many men Into service
as chauffeurs In removing the Injured to
tho hospitals. Streets leading from tho
docks were the sceneB of a constantly
moving procession of automobiles. Every
morgue in the loop district and the wide
area north of the river was notified to
be In readiness for the reception of
bodies.
All the big State street stores elimi
nated their delivery services and rushed
their automobile trucks and horie-drawn
wngons to aid the police department.
Pollco from outlying districts wero
called In, as well as traffic policemen,
to aid In the relief work. As a result,
the normally jammed loop district thor
oughfares were well nigh Impassable.
Street car motormen had no one to tell
them when to crosa busy corners. At
some crossings Impassable masses of
wagons, automobiles and street ears
virtually locked those streets for many
minutes at a time.
So quickly did the Eastland turn over
that many of the passengers remained In
their seats until they wero flung into thn
water. As Boon as the accident occurred
calls for help Immediately crammed all
telephone wires. Police ambulances, pa
trol wagons, flro department trucks, tugs,
launches, rowboats, flatboats and life pro
servers took part In the rescue.
Nearby stood a sad-faced woman, Mra.
Josephine Behnko. Her hands were
folded, and she was praying.
"My husband! I left him In the water.
My little girl. I thought ahe was here.
She Isn't. May God have mercy on their
pouls."
Seven-year-old Edna Hilt stood In ono
comer of tho hospital and cried:
"My mamma'a gone," said the little girl.
"She's drowned. She said good-by to
me."
Walter Stadler was being rushed Into
the operating room.
"Take care of the women first." he
said, pointing' a limp finger at a figure
lying near him, I can wal" tThen he
fainted.
ster, saved the lives of his little sister,
Mildred, and his mother, Mrs. Paul Kllef
ges, The lad, his sister and his mother
were on the lower deck when the steamer
began to list.
Seeing the crowd of men and women
rushing to the side, Edward realized It
was useless to attempt to get out by any
of the exits, so he pllmbed a pole above
his head. Ho squeezed through a port
hole Juat as the boat settled on Its side.
Calling to his mother to hand up his lit
tle slater he dragged her through also,
and with the assistance of a man, pulled
his mother to the upper side of the up
turned ship In the same manner.
Miss Anne Fredericks, 19, was pulled up
on the high side of the ship by two
womn. Telling her story, she said:
"I beard tho hundred women and bablea
scream at once. It was the most terrible
thing one could Imagine. The hold must
have been full of people who could not
escape,"
Mils Agnen Summttt, 23, who was
flicked up by the tug Kenosha, declared
hat the women were, given the first op
portunity for escape by the men on board
the boat.
IN THE ENOINE ROOM.
F, G. Enow, of Ludlngton, Mich., as
sistant engineer of the Eastland, de
scribed what occurred In the engine
room,
"Wo fel( the floor rise, and I turned
on the water blast," he iad. "It was
too late, she kept going over. J ran up
stairs and was about to dive over the
rail when I saw a woman standing there
alone. I seized her and leaped Into the
water We were gleked up by some men
with a rope." ,
Peter Erlcksbn, of Grand Haven. Mich ,
an oiler, and Clyde Schearon, of St. Jos
ph. Mob:, a water tndar, dvd over
board and swam to the dock. As they
drew ttujrisJv up they saw four
women swpt off the beat's upturned side
clinging tq etch other, and being swept
out Into tha river by the swirling caused
by the settling of the big- lake liner. The
two men plunged In again and brought
the women to the dock Men on shore
pulled (hem to safety.
SE6 WIFS DROWK
Kdwsrd Adlay, of Cicero, a suburb, was
pushed att the $atland and In tha
scramble was separated 'f0ro his wife.
He trid to save her, but saw her go un
der tba watr. She did not reappear and
Ad)er. stelng his alur-ln-law. Mrs. Min
nie Polka, struggling In tho water, caught
aT in h arm an? swam asaoza. He
trlid to swim back to siaroa tor his wife.
but was forcibly dragged ashore by rate.
mi tM oock.
Hursay Millar, alto of Cicero, eaved
MDf 4 SK411 cWld. Mr Margart
HaB waa stou!r bruiHd In the
MMfBbi-vrbvr4. but waa aayed by bar
TK-yar-oi; dwaa Tenaatena. who vu
oa fear wy to Join bar matfear J 3feV.
SANK AT CHICAGO
gan City, was- swept Into the water when
the rush came, but she swam to the shore
and was dragged upon the dock by a
policeman.
BYSTANDERS MAN LIFEBOAT.
William Sharp, Jr., an oiler on the
steamer Petosky, which was standing
nearby when the Eastland went over,
manned a lifeboat with three other mem
bers of the Petosky'a crew and saved
100 persons who were flodnderlng about
In the river.
"Bodies were bobbing about like apples
In a tub," said Sharp, describing his ex
perience. "The shrieks of tha drowning
were terrible, As fast as we could get
our boat filled we rowed the survivors to
the dook and returned for more."
KILLED .MAKING RESCUE.
Peter Boyle, a lookout on the Petosky,
dived Into the water to save a little girl
floating on the surface. He never came
up. It was supposed he broke his reck.
Caspar Lallnd was a passenger with
his wife, his son Caspar, 8 years old,
and his daughter Cecelia, 1! years old.
All were separated when the outer rail
went under. Swimming about Lallnd
picked up his daughter and took her
safely to shore, within a foot of where
his wife had landed. The boy Is miss
ing. Eye witnesses corroborated the story
told by Edward Schaack, a. commission
merchant, nnd F. W. Wlllard, a passen
ger on the Eastland. Schaack was some
yards from the dock when the boat went
over.
DRAG DO THROUGH PORTHOLE.
He commandeered a largo rowboat and
paddled to mldstrjnm. Ho dragged Wll
lard from the water and with him
climber to the boat's upturned side. The
two drew 90 passengers from below decks
through a porthole. Peter Horwlch, a
musician, went overboard with his violin
when the boat tipped. An unknown
woman struggled In the water hanging
to the violin when Horwlch came up. He
managed to swim with tho wijman to
shore.
Among the passengers who put the
death list at a high figure was Theodore
Soderstrom, who was pulled out uncon
scious. He declared he held his wife up
for what seemed hours, and then she was
torn from his grasp by two women who
struggled to hold themselves up on his
shoulders. She Was drowned.
BLAMES OVERCROWDING.
Soderfitrom said he didn't believe It was
a broken "air chutetJirUi&tsca'uatd'ths'blg
boat to tip over. -;
"Tho passengers wpre crowded On the
outer rail from 10 to 30 deep In places' I
noticed the boat beginning to careen
slightly, but at first-It gave me no un
easiness. Then, Just bafore we pulled
out, several hundred passengers who had
been waving to persona on tho dock came
over to the outer rail. Almost Instantly
the boat lurched drUnkenly', righted Itself
and then pitched onie more.
U. S. ORDERS IMMEDIATE
PROBE OF BOAT DISASTER
Assistant Secretary of Commerce Be
gins Investigation.
WASHINGTON, July 2I.-An Immediate
Inquiry Into the Eastland dlsastor today
was ordered by Assistant Secretary of
Commerce Sweet. He conferred with D.
N. Hoover, Jr., Assistant Supervising In
spector General of tho Steamboat Inspec
tion Service, as soon as he learned of
the disaster. Hoover may go to Chicago
to assist the steamboat Inspectors there.
Assistant Supervising Inspector General
Hoover, of the Steamboat Inspection
Service, later ordered Ira'B. Mansfield.
Inspector of hulls, and William Nicholas,
Inspector of (boilers, who comprise the
Board of Steamboat Inspectors for Chi
cago, to make the Inquiry.
She was privileged, under the Jaw, to
carry 8510 persons In summer. Officials
would not discuss the matter In the ab
sence of official reports. They intimated,
however, that the press advices Indicated
the vessel was not overloaded.
The Eastland, according to department
records, was built at Port Huron, Mich.,
In 1903. and her boilers the same year.
She was considered, by the Inspection
service to be a fine boat.
NEW SEAMAN'S LABOR LAW
BLAMED FOR CATASTROPHE
Shipping Man Says Boat Was Made
Top-heavy by Act's Provisions.
DETROIT. AIIeh. Julv
21.-That ) the
new seamen's labor law. enacted
at the
last session of Congress, was responsible.
at teast in part tor tne steamboat 'East
land horror In Chlpago today yvaa the
allegation of A, A- fichantz, general man.
sger of the Detroit and CUveland Trans
portation Company.
"The boat was simply topheavy because
of life efts end other equipment- tt
quired by the amen's law,? ,S.chanta
said. "I don't bejjeve she woud have
turned turtle it she had been properly
trlmmid. Whon the bill was bfore Con
grjts we a,rgi)ed that aome such accident
might occur, but they laughed at us."
GOV, PUNNE PROMISES MORE
STRINGENT SAFETY LAWS
Illinois ExMtrtiVe, at Exposition,
Showed by News of Tragedy.
SAN TRANCIBCO. July -Governor
B. V. Dunne, of Illinois, upon learning of
tha Eastland disaster' In Chicago, said
nothing had so sbocktd fcm in yara
That la terrible news," sajd tba Illinois
OxeouUve. "I cannot understand how
such a tragedy could have occurred. My
exposition trip Is marred by tbU sad
affair We have laws in Illinois against
the ovarorowdlug of lake steamboats awl
If It develop that tho Eastland Mnk
becauM ah waa overloaded Uw fclw
wei violated
On result of tola tragt,a undoubt
4iy wUI b tba more rigid norem8t
of tba pr4Dt laws ruUUng tba loading
9i MMr ahlM .ai tk ats ej
TTTTtV
tj v jlj
U X
more stringent measures to make a repe
tition of such , dlaasler impossible
CHICAGO MAYOR ISSUES
rROCLASLlTIONTO CITIZEN8
JSJ i I .
CHICAGO, July H.-W. ll. Moorehouse,
acting Mayor of ChlcAgo. Issued tho fol
lowing proclamation today on account of
thn Eastland rilsAittr.
"To tho citizens of Chicago:
'The police nnd flro departments ate
making every effort to aid In the rescue
work Policemen And flferneh from sta
tions In all parts of the city were dis
patched to the vwsel. A systematic
cheek of tho nam6s of all the persons
save'd Is being kept and as soon as po-j
slbto the families of these wilt be noti
fied The same Is true of the dead. All
available employes of the city govern
ment whom It Is thought can render as
slatAnCe have been ordered to the scene.
EASTLAND iWAS LONG
CONSIDERED UNSAFE
j
CLEVELAND, O., July Sl.-The steam
ship Eastland, which sank In the Chicago
River today, formerly was owned In this
city by tho Eastland Navigation Company
nnd operated between here and Cedar
Point. She had long been considered un
safe owing to the fact that she was "top
heavy and unwieldy.
On one occasion she ran Into the break
wall and remained outside all night With
a large number of excursionists Aboard.
On two other occasions she ran aground,
but was floated after tugs were sent to
the rescue. She wss sold to a Chicago
company In Juno, 1914.
INCREASED CAPACITY
MADE BOAT UNSAFE
PORT HURON, Mich., July 21.-The
steamboat Eastland was constructed at
this port by the Jenks Shipbuilding Com
pany In 1803. At that tlrne she waa con
sidered orte of the finest vessels on the
Engineers here declared today that as
originally doslgned and built the boat was
unusually safe, but they declared changes
had been mado later at the request of the
owners and more upper works were Added
to Increase her passenger accommoda
tions. TERRIBLE PANIC SEIZES
UNFORTUNATES ON BOAT
CHICAGO, July 24. According to Ross
II. Geetlng, a commission Hneaman, who
was a passenger on the Eastland, the
panic as the boat went unde,r was Inde
scribable. Anna Golntck, who saved her
self by hanging to two chairs, corrob
orated Geetlng's statement that women
carrying bablea were beaten down and
trampled by men In the wild rush from
under decks.
"Tho boat swung several times un
steadily," said Geetlng, "before the rtnal
dip. It was at that last terrible lurch
that every one at onco seemed to grasp
what was happening. Tho screaming and
panic was frightful. Many women had
almost all of their clothing torn off be
fore they could get to the rail or a port
hole to jump.
"There were aUo terrible eccnes enact
ed about stanchions nnd every stable up
right on the upper deck as men and
women fought to get hold. Even after
the boat settled on her side there was
struggling on the slippery upturned side
plates. There must have been at least
15 or 20 of all sexes and agea who were
llterdlly pushed off to their deaths who
might have been saved If they had heed
ed tho calls from Captain Pederson and
other ship's officers to remain quiet."
COMPANY'S STATEMENT SAYS
BOAT HAD AUTHORIZED LOAD
CHICAGO. July 24. M. K. Grcenbaum.
general manager of the Indians. Trans
portation Company, which chartered tha
Eastland for today's excursion. Issued tho
following statement at noon today.
.''Today's loading of all passenger boats
was under the personal supervision of R.
H. McCrary, Deputy Collector of Cus
toms and a Federal officer. He was as
sisted by several checkers, two of whom
stbod at the only gangway over which
tho'-paesengers were admitted.
"When 2500 passengers, allowed by tho
Government, had gone aboard further
loading was stopped. These checkers
have automatic counting machines and
check against each other.
"Exactly 2500 persons, most of them
women and girls and small children, were
aboard the Eastland," said McCrary. "I
personally stopped nny more from cross
ing the gangplank when our tally ma
chines showed 2500. I will not express
my theory as to the cause of the accident
until the official Inquiry begins."
u. s. life-saving CORPS
RESCUED MANY PASSENGERS
Captain Carland and His Men Drew
Hundreds From the Water.
CHICAOO, July 24 Captain Charles
Carand, head of the United States life
saving crew stationed at the head of tha
Chicago River, was one of the first on
the scene of the Eastland disaster. With
a rescue cutter he and his men worked
for an hour picking up drowning persona
To their efforts several hundred passen
gers on the Ill-fated steamer owe their
lives.
HINDENBURG OPENS BOMBARDMENT
OF NAREW FORTS NORTH OF WARSAW
Continued from Face One
other hand official dispatches report
General Macknsen making steady prog
BATTLE ON THREE
FOR MASTERY
LONDON. July 24,
Intrench.e4 behind their strong Jmme
dlite defenses guarding Warsaw, tha
Uuuiana are checking the swift progress
which has brought tha three great armies
of thq Auatro-Germans almost to tha Pol.
Ish capital.
Fighting of tremendous violence In
going on along the Lublln-Cholm railway,
on the Vistula and along the Nsrew. Be
hind tho natural barriers formed? by the
two rivers the Russians have constructed
defenses which, despite the lack of am
munition among th Czar's troops, are
most difficult to overcome.
The Auitrlans have brought up seven
17-lnoh and 20-Inch guns for the bom
bardment of lyangorad.
With undiminished vigor the Germans
and Austrisni are hammering at the Rus.
slan lines north, south and west of War
saw, but nelthir Berlin nor Vienna today
claims progress equal to that attalnd by
the Teutonic armies during resent days.
The German War Office reports that
the wst bank of the Vistula from Janou
wise to Qranloa has been cleared of tha
RqnUns aftd that between the Vistula
and tha Bug, in the fighting for the Lub-
MACKENSEN DELIVERS SLEDGE
HAMMER BLOWS IN SOUTH
PHTROORAD. July 1.
Field Marshal von Maekansen, operat
ing between the ftiif and tha Vistula, con
tlaues bis stodge-bawia? blows against
tb CUsiw-Ljablia Ha of the Russians.
(UraeUog tbwa now particularly against
tba city of Lublin His tnunadlata ob
jectives art Btiaycs, ?rrniW. Vasftav
itt ab4 arubschow Slyu U U R
ouutwe,; a. iiU.un,
n. lots.
GERMANS MASS
FORCES FOR NEW DRIVE
AGAINST VERDUN FORTS
French Report Severe
Fighting in Vosges and
Argonne Foes' Attacks
Repulsed Gain Trench
in Le Pretre Forest, j
LONDON, July- J4.-The German are
massing troops at St. Mlhtcl to launch
a new drive at Verdun, hccordlng to un
official reports received here. Tho offi
cial communications do not elvo any hint
of such a concentration, but the military
experts consider It llkeW, In view of the
Crpfcn Prince's recent attempt to weaken
the French hold on Verdun.
Severe fighting continues In the Ar
gonne and In the Vosges, but no gains of
consequence were reported today. The
Germans tried lo win back ground they
lost on the heights of Metteral. Although
they penetrated the French tines at one
point, Paris reports, a counjer'attaek
drove them out. The Frenol) claim they
have gAlned a foothold In tho trenches
in Le Pretre Forest, which they lost re
cently. The bombardment of ront:a
Mousson Is reported by both sides.
The official statement Issued by the
French War Office last night says:
"Today It was comparatively quiet along
the whole front.
"In Artols there was the usual artillery
activity on both sides.
"Some shells were flred on the suburbs
of Solssons and on Rhelrns.
"Between the Olse and Alsne, In tho
region of Quennevlerres, and on th
plateau of Mouvron, On the right bank
of the Alsne near Bouplr, and on the
Champagne front soveral artillery ac
tions also were reported.
"In the Argonne there was rifle and gun
firing In the region of Bagatelle, where
one of our companies succeeded yester
day In seizing part of an enemy trench,
thus strengthening the front lb our ad
vantage. '
PONT-A-MOUSSON BOMBARDED.
"Pont-a-Mousson was Intermittently
bombarded during the night.
"In the region of Arracourt n strong
hostile reconnolterlng force supported by
artillery wss turned back by our Infantry
and artillery.
"In the Vosges an Attempted German
attack against our positions southward
of the Fnyo was eaBlly repulsed.
"The positions we had wan to tho cast
of Metzeral, on the crest of the Lingo
nnd Barrenkopf, were subjented to a very
violent bombardment. The enemy mo
mentarily succeeded In penetrating pait
of our links, but was driven out by an
energetic counter attack on our part.
"In the forest of Le Pretro In the courco
of last night we regained a footing In
the line of trenches previously lost. Two
German counter attacks wero repulsed
with considerable losses to the enemy.
"One of our flying squadrons employed
on bombardment duties yesterday evening
dropped 2S shells on the railway station
at Condons, In Jarnlsy, and forced two
German aeroplanes to alight In their
lines."
LE PRETRE ATTACK FAILS.
The communication given out by the
Berlin War Office says:
"The nightly hand grenade attacks of
the enemy north and northwest of Sou
chez were repulsed. In the Champagne
district we successfully blew up several
mines and occupied the borders of the
openings thus made.
"In the forest of Le Pretre a Trench
night attack failed. In the Vosges fight
ing Is proceeding. An attack, by tho
enemy against the Llngekopf-Barrenkopf
lino north of nlunster was repulsed after
severe fighting at close quarters before
and in the positions of tho Bavarians and
Mecklenburg chasseurs. We captured
two officers nnd 61 Alpine troops.
"A French attack against Rclch-Acker-kopf
also was successful. Near Metzeral
we ejected the French from their ad
vanced positions, which, according to
our plan, we evacuated In order to avoid
losses.
"As a reprisal for the repeated bom
bardment of Thlascourt nnd other places
between the Meuse nnd the Moselle oun
artillery yesterday bombarded Pont-a-'Mousaon
"Our airmen dropped bombs on the
railway triangle at St. Hllalre, In Cham
pagne." REPULSE OF GERMANS'-
IN VOSGES REPORTED
PARIS, July 24. Fighting In the Vosges
mountains Is the only activity chronicled
In tho official communique of the French
war office today. According to this state
ment the Germans wtre repulsed at
every point.
The text of the official communique
follows;
'The night was calm on the entire
front, excepting In the Vosges mountains,
whero the enemy has made several at
tacks at the Reichs Ackerkopt Mountain
and on the heights to the east of Met
zeral. The Germans have been repulsed
everywhere."
ress toward the Lubltn-Cholm Railway,
which may already be In the hands of
thp Austro-Gerraans.
FRONTS RAGES
OF WARSAW FIELD
lln-Cholm railway, the Russian front has
been broken at several places and the
Slavs compelled to retire.
The Austrians and Germans, though
their pace Is retarded, are pushing their
great attacks against the Russian armies
defending Warsaw with enrgy, and at
some polnt,s report that progress has been
made.
They are operating, however, through
country which the retiring troops have
lad waste end where what roads there
are are little suited for the movement of
the heavy artillery which Is necessary for
the bombardment of the great fortresses
that bar their way.
It Is n.pt expected, therefore, that de.
cislve actlona on any 9' the fronts will
be fought for some days yet. although
the battle between the Vlattjla and the
Bug Rivers, where the German Field
Marshal von Mackensen's army Is ad
vancing toward the Lublln-Choim, Rail
road, has about reashed a climax. Here,
according to tha German official com
munication lsud this afternoon, the Ger
mans have succeeded in breaking the
obstinate reslstaiya of the Russians at
several polnta and forced thm to retreat.
Of only slightly lets important in this
region are the battle, on th Bug between
Krylow and Dobrotovra.
Ta castrai I4a of um German can.
palgo la uwumad to b to oitaTa control
urat barrtar adwiuHy fostil.4. tl &.
tary crtU My G.ry aktgbT om
o W Busata tn ek wttticwpi,-!
Mvaly ssnall forcaa and th ,kZZjZ
l mun waitfct ajalait ffr, "w
U. S. WILL DECIDE
GERMANY'S ACTS
Deeds and Not Words
Wanted by Washing-1
' ton From Kaiser; An
swer Unnecessary,
Berlin Must Decide to Grant or
Refuse Demands for Safety
of Neutrals on High Seas.a
No Middle Course Ofcen.
Firm Tone of Reply Pleases dfudals
and People Government Ready to II
Enforce International Law Affect
ing-Lives of Americana Admlftls- 4
tration Hopeful.
Washington, July ji;
The matter now Is In the hands of or-
niany. jbiiiura reiauonH ueiween tne Btu ,n
iin and Washington uovernments depend 1
. . . . '.
on Germany's action, not US words.
This, In effect, summarizes the view In4
oftlclal Washington, following publication
of the latest American note on the Liui.
tanln horror ami Germany's submarine
warfare. There Is an air of calm v siting
In Government circles for advices from
Berlin telling of the impression created
there by tho note.
The American reply the third and prob
ably last on the Lusitanla case Is re
garded here as an.ablo and vigorous State
paper, but ul tho tamo time friendly1,
Germany Is Informed In language as plalfijif .
aa diplomatic usage will pormlt that herf
note of July 8 was "unsatisfactory," that v&
....... . . .. L
mo united scales cannoi accept tne coun
ter proposals made In that communica
tion, and this Government cannot recede
one whlt from its former position regard-
ing tho rights of neutrals at sea. ;
SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. j
Tho closing paragraph of the American I
reply Is Interpreted here as virtually say- j
Ing to Germany that If her submarine .
commanders ngnln violate the rights of j
A mn.lnflnB 4,'t.A AA (,n,llllnN nAAKItfllltn
on tho high seas, the German Govern; '
ment must take the consequences. The j
seriousness or tins, it is Deueveti, must
be appreciated In Germany hs well as the
unuca oiaieo.
"Friendship Itself prompts It (th!
united states) to say to the imperial
German Government that repetition by
commanders of German naval vessels of
acts In contravention of thoso rights.
must bo regarded by tho Government of ,
1110 uiiutu aiaies, wnen mcy nneci
American citizens, ns deliberately un
friendly." reads tho concluding Dara-
graph and probably the most momentous
paragraph of the American reply.
In the Anal revision of the note It Is un
derstood the words "deliberately un
friendly" were Inserted In lieu of "un-
friendly net." as originally written. The
vigor of the warping, however, is not con ,
struea to navo ccen cnangea ay tno sud
stltutlon. The general tenor of the note
Is as forecast.
OFFICIALS SATISFIED.
Satisfaction Is felt In official circles
hero that 'all through tho note Germany
Is assured this Government desires to
maintain friendly relations, but thfse re
lations oannbt be continued at the sacri
fice of principle and American lives.
Without directly informing Germ-ny that
further correspondence on the sitnject Is
fruitless, the note clearly Indicates that
the acts of Germany will be the guide
of the United States In determining ner
real attitude In the present crisis,
Tho assertion in the American reply
that the rights of neutrals aro based on
principle, not expediency, "nnd the prln-'
ciples are Immutable" Is construed us
another clear warning that Germany Is
expected to accept the previously enun
ciated position of the United States.
UNPARDONABLE OFFENSE. ,
Rejecting Germany's plea that her sub-
marine warfare Is In retaliation for the
British blockade, this Government states M-
unequlvocally that the two Issues cannot -
bo confounded and that If there Is retal- J
lation It must be without sacrificing neu- ..
trals. Persistent sacrifice of these rights
of' neutrals, the note says with broad
emphasis, might In some circumstances
"constitute an unparuonaoie onense
against the sovereignty of the neutral
nations Involved."
It Is realized here that the American
reply la a vigorous, plain-speaking com
munication, although It Is not Intended to
be belligerent or bombastic.
The greatest Interest will be taken In
the capital for the next few days regard
ing the note to Germany.
Having firmly announced Us position.
v-hlcn includes a renewal of the demana
for a disavowal of the Lusitanla tracedy
and reparation therefor, this Government',
can only await results. That no im'i
mediate change Is expected in the situ
tlon Is Indicated by the return of th
President to tho New Hampshire hills
for another week's rest.
Secretary Lansing and other members ,1
or tne canmet have left tho capital tor
week-ends. It now Is up to the Kaiser
to make his next move friendly or "de
liberately tfnfrlehdly" and to determine
whether the United States will have to X
employ Its warning to uphold the free-,:
aom or tne seas "without compromise .
ana at any cost."
MEXICO CITY'S SILENCE
ALARMS WASHINGTON
. uj
Fear for Foreigners' Safety FelfaJ
New aituauon. ,
.a
WASHINGTON", July 21 -As a result ot
tha complete Isolation of Mexico City ler
five days, the Mexican situation todsy
again began to assume an air of tension.
Both the State Department and the le-jal
agencies of the various revolutionist fac
tions are In complete Ignorance as 40
what has taken place In the capital sine
Its reoccupation by the Zapata forces,
The silence Is believed to cloak, military
operations which may be of the greatest
Importance.
General Gonzales, with his CarranJ
army, military obwrvera think, ma;
already be battling with the "flying eoltj
umn" of Villa, whose descent from the
north caused him hurriedly to abandon
the capital In order to save his oommuDl'
cations with Vera Cruz.
Neither the Carranza officials at Vr4
Orijs nor tha Villa headquarters in th
oorth have heard any reports from tha
battle assumed to be in progress, a
though each expresses confidence in US,
out aome. In diplomatic as well as SVr
erwneat Circles ttuw I much unea-lnaffc
NO ona kuows how much reliance I
place on Zapata, but U is assumed tbti
ths diplomatic ewps In Mexko City w;
tajc Step to PMtset foreigners m cal 1
of food nets.
Kaanlntr in Tnllrfa With Home
Vau &- aiiLtti faramt tha AaatS tou
vh 09 th most jo yabl .aatiovQ
te it thou youi vott wy4e' MW.W-
t - t..JJ. ... liidltlMfi
T-.-J...... -..J.-- ...... !.. ,.-1 .M.i UOitf
'i
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t